When Robin Frasier, M.D., provided a photo of herself to the City of Hope Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit following her successful BMT 16 years ago, the photo she provided  —  and the one that remains posted in the unit  —  included her husband, Douglas.

Little could anyone imagine that 11 years later, Douglas would earn his rightful place on the wall of BMT survivors.

In 1990, Robin, a psychiatrist in private practice, was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Years earlier, as a medical student, she cared for patients with CML. “My job was to hold their hands while they died,” she recalls. But in 1990, BMTs offered hope. When no suitable marrow donor could be found for Robin, her physician, Stephen J. Forman, M.D., pursued an innovative approach to treating CML, an autologous BMT, in which Robin’s own healthy stem cells would be reinfused after her CML was eradicated through chemotherapy. Robin agreed to the procedure, becoming the first patient at City of Hope to be successfully treated for CML with an autologous BMT.

Fast-forward 10 years later to 2000 and Douglas, a pediatric endocrinologist at UCLA, is diagnosed with primary amyloidosis, a rare disorder of the bone marrow. “When I was in medical school, we were told it was unlikely we would ever come across a patient with this disease,” recalls Douglas. Like Robin’s, Douglas’ BMT was trailblazing at City of Hope as he was the first patient to have an autologous BMT for treatment of primary amyloidosis.

The Frasiers’ life together remains an extraordinary journey. They supported each other through medical school, raised a family and cared for each other through life-threatening illnesses. Today, they continue to enjoy their professions, while pursuing their interests and hobbies, setting aside time to visit their seven grandchildren. In July 2006, the couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Contemplating their unique bond as BMT survivors, Robin’s humor prevails, “Some couples age and get facelifts. We go for deeper changes.”